Decode
by telracs
Summary: Sequel to Amnesia. Tigress finds that her destiny is to be a Keeper of Truth and a Spiritual Warrior. When she starts recieving strange dreams and haunting marks, she starts to realize the true meaning of Pride and Fear; the power of knowing who you are.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello fellow friends, and hopefully future new ones! Welcome to the sequel of Amnesia! I hope that you all enjoy the first chapter, I'm sorry if it seems crappy but I try my best! And a shout out to ma Beta-reader! Ruff1298! I think I got the numbers right...**

**Well, please enjoy the beginning of many chapters to come!**

**I don't own KFP or "It" either...or do I?**

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The Little Things That Become Big

The wind blew on the strong branches of the many implanted trees in the striking garden, sending petals of flowers to flutter amongst the warm breeze. The lush, green grass crumpled under the three pairs of feet, as two siblings compete against each other to see whose kite can go the highest, and their guardian watches over them with a solid eye. Butterflies of all kinds flew around from flower to flower, collecting the nectar needed to satisfy their raging hunger. The birds sang their song and the drip-drops of water that fell upon the concrete from last night's rain only made nature's music more relaxing. The sun gazed upon them, while sending ripples of heat that indicated a good day to do just about anything.

Six months has passed since the departure of the beloved Dragon Warrior, Po. He had left his friends with memories that would remain with them forever. He left to be with someone he has and will never truly love. He left for the well-being of his family and friends. He left because it was his duty. Because he thought—no, he_ knew_—it was the right thing to do. But was it worth it? Was it worth leaving his father handling the noodle shop all on his own? Was it worth leaving his uncompleted training? What if a new threat would arise? What would he do then? The Five might not be able to handle it all on their own. They might need some help. What if she…?

No. She was her own hero. Besides, Hao promised to protect her, be there for her, and even lo— her. He couldn't even say that word anymore when it came to that. That word is too strong. Hao did lo—her. And Po knew it.

"No! That no fair!"

"Yes it is! Besides, you started it!"

"Is and did not! Po!"

Great…

Upon hearing his name being mentioned, Po walked over to the young lynxes that were flying their (what used to be) separate kites. The youngest one was Mei-Zhen—"Precious Pearl''—and she was about three-years old. Her beautiful soft fur had been brushed especially nice today, and pointed perfectly to the very tip of her ears. Her mother had a tendency of tying different colored ribbons depending on what she wore. Today she wore a green tunic with matching pants embroidered with falling green leaves, which meant green ribbons at the moment. Her older brother Tung—"United"—is fourteen-years-old. He wore his regular blue tunic and black slacks. His aqua blue eyes glared at the violet that stared angrily back at him.

It seemed that the kite's wires became tangled in the process of their harmless sibling rivalry. Po was used to these types of competitions around the palace. Muang was only twenty-two, which made her the second eldest. Her elder sibling was a sister of age twenty-three. Her other siblings included two twin brothers, both eleven years old. Tung and Mei-Zhen were the other two, and finally the youngest of the clan was the one-year-old baby boy who has yet to be named. There were many battles that went on between Muang and her elder sister, Jade. They would often fight about who deserves what and who had the highest status in the family although both were female and didn't count much, but when Muang asks Jade the dreaded question of who married the Dragon Warrior and became empress, Jade had no choice but to stay shut.

The twins were the most rambunctious of the youngsters, always fighting for toys and silly games. They also fight when they are asked a question, and the other refuses to be wrong. Sometimes the arguments would seem endless, but it was nothing a quick time out wouldn't fix. The other two—Mei and Tung—didn't take it very seriously, and took to having Po around quite quickly. Tung understood that Mei was very young (unlike the other siblings), and didn't understand many things so he would keep everything to a minimum, no matter how annoying it can be to have to deal with a three-year-old sister. And even though it seemed typical to be totally mature at age fourteen and older, in the inside of the imperial palace—the children—were anything but mature, but Tung was. Po liked that about Tung. Tung was very mature for his age for how his family behaved in secret, and so was Mei. Although she's only three-years-old, Po could see that Mei had an amazing memory. She could see something once, and remember every detail, every mark and anything else in between. He loved that most about her because it could always come in handy one day.

Although he already knew what went on, there was no pain in asking to hear their side of the story. "What happened?"

Or so he thought.

The simple question was answered simultaneously with the two bickering on whose fault it truly was. Po dragged one hand down his face and silently cursed himself for asking the question. He picked Mei-Zhen up in his arms to avoid the arguing to turn into fighting by Mei's side. "Hey, hey now. Fighting won't get us anywhere. Why don't you tell me one at a time?" He turned his gaze to Tung, who stood impatiently while holing the tangled strings of the kites.

"Well, first we were flying our kites. But then Mei pushed me and our kites were mixed up. The strings started to get tangled and now we can't play…but it's not like I want to anyway…" he muttered to himself.

Po raised an eye-brow and shot one look at Mei, who covered her mouth to giggle at his silly expression, which was the one she called his "'tective face". "You _can't _play?"

"We are not _able_ to play." He corrected himself, keeping contact with Po's eyes and not rolling them like he used to. Before Po, Tung used have no respect for his elders at all, but now having someone he could look up to, Tung felt like he could finally have someone to be proud of him. Even for something as little as keeping eye contact.

Po put little Mei down and took the kites from Tung's grip. He pulled the kites down and examined the tangles. He then found a knot right in the middle of the strings, and it was pretty big. They were so knotted up that Po had given up before he had a chance to take a crack at untangling it..

"Tell ya what," he said still observing the over-knotted knot, "When we go visit my friends, I'll get you an even better kite than this piece of junk."

Po's announcement caused a cheer between the two. Mei skipped along to him and plopped down on his lap. "I wanna pink kite! A…" she put her finger over her lip, thinking of what to say. A sudden grin rushed over her features. "A pink bwuf'y!"

Po smiled. "A pink butterfly! Wow, that's a shocker…what about you, Tung?"

Tung sat down on the grass and crossed his legs. "I would like a dragon kite. None of these boring square ones that we always have…I mean look at these things! How can we ever have fun with a flat box that just flies up in the air?"

Po nodded. Things were indeed quite boring and simple at the Imperial Palace. As the Imperial family, they had to keep up a certain image. They must keep the reputation of a perfect family, having perfect obedient and dutiful sons and daughters. Everything is rationed evenly, and nothing is ever changed. There are no extra meals, snacks, windows, pillows. Everything is always even, never odd.

The routine is always the same, repeated each day. Every day is exactly the same. That's what Po had now come to believe. He came to believe that the best part of the end of the day is that the next day, the same routine starts all over again.

Agreeing to his promise, he then sent the children inside for lunch, warning them that if they did not eat their plate clean he might forget all about the kites. He waited until they left for him to sit under the Peach tree planted at the right-hand corner of the garden. He rested his head on the tough bark, thinking about the not-so-secret-but-used-to-be-a-secret excursion they'll be taking in a few short days. It's been six months since Po had last visited the Jade Palace, and he longed to be back to having bloody knuckles and broken bones, if only for three months.

It all began on that snowy day after the "Battle of Longevity" as it was now called, that Po had planned this trip. Shifu was the true culprit behind it. He had told Po that they will be going on an important mission in the summer season, and it was one he could not miss, even Katrina form Mexico would be joining them. Everyone must be present. But it was Po who had decided to take the two children to the Jade Palace. At first Shifu refused, but how could he say no when Muang found out about the situation, and decided to take matters into her own hands.

It was a pity, he thought, that Muang would be attending this trip. But soon this will change…that thought had left him long ago. That is what he kept hearing in his head, those same words ringing in his ears. Now those words meant nothing. How can things change when they were always exactly the same? Tung was right, Po thought. How can things be fun if everything was like a flat box? You can't have fun with a flat box.

He got up, and retired to his bedroom, where he could have his thoughts to himself. There, he sat on his bed and just sat there, staring at the many blankets that covered the bed, thinking about it... He couldn't believe he was thinking it, or about to even say it because he thought he was finished with it. He thought the children would take his mind off it, but it just made it worst. Muang made it worse, her mother, her father's love, the laughter, the happiness. Everything was just wrong! It wasn't supposed to be this way! It was **never** meant to be this way! He was supposed to be normal!

But he was, wasn't he? Of course he was normal. He had to be. But he had no clue. It had taken him up to when he was old enough to read, to find out he was adopted by Mr. Ping, and that he was a panda, not an over-sized furry goose. He said nothing though, because no matter what happened, Mr. Ping would always be his father. He would always…be…his…father.

And because Mr. Ping was his father he had ancestors to pray to, he had a family to visit, he had all these things and still he asked for something more. Something that Mr. Ping could not truly give him, but only an adventure of a life time could give him. What is it really--a name?

"That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet…" he recited quietly. Did it matter what his true identity was? No matter who he was, he would always be himself. No matter what they called him; he would always be the same panda, wouldn't he?

…wouldn't he? "I…no." he answered himself aloud. "I wouldn't…change. No, that's just…no, no. I wouldn't. I mean…would…I…ever? No. No. Oh man, I've got to stop talking to myself…"

This was all just much on his mind right now. He needed something to write his thoughts down. He snapped his finger's suddenly as a thought hit him.

_My journal!_

Running to the mantelpiece that rested on the opposite side of the wall with two large windows, he searched for a brown leather notebook where he's written down everything: thoughts, poems, secrets. It's something that he liked to call, "His Chronicle of Life". He searched in between two large encyclopedias about Law and Crime, and right in front of "Women for Dummies", he pulled out his journal. He sat at a desk that he purposely connected to the shelf, and took his ink pen, dipped it in the small bottle, opened the book and began to write.

_Fifteenth day of the Fourth Lunar Month_

_After noon_

_Hey dude,_

_I know I've been writing about this for the past few days, but it's just so important to me all of the sudden. Who am I? _

_Yeah, so my name is Po. But big deal! A name won't change who you are on the inside (at least I hope not), that's just a label. Like the simplicity of any other name placed on the Five. And I've been wondering lately, who are my real parents? Did they abandon me on purpose? Did they die and someone find me? Was I separated from them as a child? Was I switched? I just…don't know._

_Whatever, I should probably change the subject, we all know what happened the last time I mentioned them. Well, in three days I'll be leaving with Muang…unfortunately. I mean, come on! She's already married to me, now she wants me to be with her at all times too! This is just discrimination…okay, maybe not. But I don't like it one bit, and she knows it. I mean, why else do ya think she's not pregnant? Besides, if I get her in that mess, who knows what's gonna be comin' outta that womb. _

_Well, it seems that the more I talk about this, the more I start thinkin' about you know who, so I'll write down some more later._

_-Po_

He quickly closed up the book and sighed. It was that feeling of wanting to write but couldn't. It was that same feeling of wanting to believe in hope for himself but didn't have something to keep him going. It was like that force that he had long ago, had escaped his grasp. It was as if he was a misplaced soul inside his own body.

True, the two children that he had made friends with always gave him the two siblings he never had, but something that he really wanted…something that he's never told anyone, not even his journal…was a friend. Sounds simple, he thought. But it was way more complicated than that. This friend had to be a great listener, someone who would listen to him and who he could listen to. Someone who he could trust with all his secrets and someone who wouldn't judge him. Someone who wouldn't spill water with the next person this friend sees. This friend, he thought, also had to be someone special. Someone that had something that's so rare in another person. It was the most important thing ever. Not a lot of people have this, it's very bizarre to find someone with it, but he wanted this person to have "It". Po didn't know exactly what "It" was, but it was something that would make this person lovable and trustworthy right away. "It" was something that made this person the sweetest person in the world in other people's eyes, and yet they know that this person could not be messed with.

He didn't want a girlfriend per say…but what he truly needed was a friend. He only needed a friend.

He shook away these depressing thoughts and began yawning inaudibly. He folded his arms and placed his head on top of them. Closing his eyes, he tried to dream with color. He tried to imagine vibrant color, and formations of the moon shining high above in the sky, with stars as bright as the moon itself and people, just celebrating for the joy of it. All this, he tried to imagine.

But in reality, all he could see was darkness.

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**Well, there's the first one for ya, hope you all enjoyed. Please be so kind as to review and that might be some great inspiration for the next chapter... :)**

**Thanks for reading, y'all! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys!**

**Okay, so here we are focusing on a new character...Katrina! She IS mexican so there IS spanish in this chapter. So if ya need a translation, feel free to just ask!**

**And I apologize for the shortness of the chapter...there are certain things that make people want to stop writing or give them writer's block...*cough cough* And thanks to Ruff for beta-reading! And I know..."The rest of the review is the beta"...I know. ;)**

**I don't own the totally awesome movie!**

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**Churros**

_Meanwhile in Mexico...._

"¡Oyen, Me voy ahora! Okay! ¡I'm leaving, mama!"

"¡Espera! Necesito una foto, niña. Relax, Katrina. No vas a jerga hasta el 17 de abril. You have time."

Katrina rolled her eyes and couldn't help but smile at her busy mother. Her mother opened each drawer that caught her eye, but each one held no camera. Instead, small knick-knacks, watches, flashlights and small packages of spices were all that made up the drawers. Her mother was a gray wolf. Her fur had aged along with her, but her spirit was one of a seventeen year-old girl. She was never too strict, but never too easy either.

Katrina's eyes caught the clock that hung on the wall, and her eyes widened. "Mama…"

"No ahora, Katrina. I still need the camera…"

"Mama! I have to go; the plane's going to leave any second!"

Immediately her mother stopped her rushed searching and checked the clock. It was ten to two. She sighed and pulled the keys out of her pocket. She tossed them to Katrina, who almost tripped in an attempt for catching them. "Aye…solo por ti, Okay? Only for you. Ven, let's get in the car. ¡Vamos! ¡Vamos!"

Katrina grabbed the medium-sized backpack that sat on counter. She quickly slapped on her favorite cap with a sown picture of churros. She ran towards the door and pushed it open, accidently breaking one of her mother's lawn gnomes.

"What was that Katrina?"

She relied on instinct, and kicked the big pieces of the pottery item behind a small ant hill that grew near her door entry. "Uh…nada!" She stepped back, almost slipping on the object's nose piece, at a very wrong time...

Her popped her head out and looked around. "I thought I heard something…?"

"Uh…" she kicked the nose piece away, making it suddenly hit another piece of the broken gnome where ants were inspecting it. "That was just the uh…" she slightly turned her head and saw a group of ants carrying the nose. She began to giggle subsequently, "Look…it's a walking nose."

Her laughter died down, and she bit her lip. "Is that my—"

"Mama! Look, I only have four minutes to get to the airport! Vamos, I'm going to be late!"

Her mother had no time to respond, for she swooped away from where she stood and found herself in front of the wheel. She involuntary took the keys and faster than you can say "Perdón Pido Pito porque pico poco", they were on the road towards the airport. Too fast to catch the last sights of Mexico, and too preoccupied with worry, Katrina munched on her churro, the one that her mother had made especially for the trip.

It didn't take long for them to arrive. She jumped out the car, stuffed the rest of the churro in her mouth and raced towards the line to the airplane. Her mother followed close behind, capturing the attention of many other waiting passengers and passerby's. As she got closer to the line that went to her plane, she could see people waiting for the same one. _Yes! I'm not late!_

She slowed down when she reached the line and caught her breath. She felt a hand on her shoulder and saw that her mother had caught up with her. She smiled and laughed lightly. "La edad no te quita el espirito, eh?"

"No, nana…just because I'm old doesn't mean I can't catch up to ya, now…whoo!" She placed a hand on her heart and breathed out again. "Mira, feel my heart." She took Katrina's hand and placed it on her chest, where she felt a heart beat as fast as she imagined a hummingbird's to beat.

"Wow…"

"Si…aye. I need a rest." She placed her hands on her knees and struggled to catch her lost breath.

Katrina looked ahead of her, and saw that her line had suddenly begun to move pretty quickly. She sighed and faced her mother. "Ma?"

"Yeah?"

Katrina flickered her tail, and a frown graced her lips. "I gotta go…" a small glimpse of sadness could be seen in her mother's eyes. She hugged her in a tight embrace and whispered, "I love you, ma…"

"Te quiero también, mi Corazón…" She kissed her cheeks and smiled, looking at her with a gleam in her eye. Patting her cheek, she said, "Now go and show them why you were named Hurricane Katrina."

She smiled and kissed her mother's cheek. "Thanks ma."

She turned around and followed the desending line, leaving into the plane and leaving her mother alone…in Mexico. Her mother's smile faded at the thought of her daughter being without her…in China…

_My daughter…mi __Corazón__…alone…fighting…__**with men**__…in China! ¿¡Pero estoy loca!? _

She mentally punched herself in the face. _I must be if I'm letting her do that…! _

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**Oh...don't cha just love churros! They are one of my faves! So sugary and yummy...**

**Thanks for reading you guys! Please be so kind as to leave a review! :) **


	3. Chapter 3

**Yes! I did it! Well...we did it! The chapter is longer than the last one thank God, and hopefully better. Thanks Ruff for beta-reading, it means alot! Even if I do get on your nerves most of the time... :) **

**So I don't own the movie...yeah, guys we've been through this...**

**Read along now...c'mon don't be shy.**

**EDIT: Sorry, forgot to say that the OC Sora belongs to Ruff. Okay, please read on. And don't forget to drop a review when ya reach the end.**

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**Just 13 hours**

Katrina was seated in the middle of two passengers, the one to her right being a large male grizzly bear whose fur had grown too long than what she thought it should have been, smelling like dirty gym socks and snoring rather loudly. The earplugs that were given to her by the sympathetic attendant did not help her situation at all, for he constantly whistled sharply when breathing out a smell of onions and scrambled eggs. Katrina's tail began to twitch when his head fell upon her shoulder involuntary. She slowly eased her head to face the large bear, and she gently pushed him away from her space and onto his pillow.

She breathed in a lungful of air and slumped back onto her chair. Realizing what she had just one, she almost choked for a moment for breathing in the bear's nauseating toxins, but was relieved when the small sparrow on her left had flapped her wings to rid of the stank. She could easily see that the sparrow was just as appalled by the repulsive smell of the beast as she was, constantly turning her head to face the other way or flapping her wings when the smell had reached her borders.

The avian dressed casually, wearing an emerald colored vest that stuck out against her dark gray feathers. She tapped her feather-fingers on the armrest, seeming obviously annoyed by something. Katrina pursed her lips thoughtfully, finally resting her head back and closing her eyes. She heard the bird scoff and snapped her eyes open again, looking at the tiny creature. The sparrow gave one look at Katrina rolled her eyes furiously.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer." She snapped. Her voice was a bit rough, sounding sarcastic with some sort of know it all tone. She didn't like the bird already. Katrina squinted and cocked her head slightly acting as if she had no idea what the bird was talking about, "Excuse me?"

The sparrow shook her head and laughed silently before turning to her and saying, "Well apparently I said that too fast…_Take a picture, it will last longer._"

Katrina looked up to the plane's roof and raised an eyebrow. She looked back at the bird, waiting for something to take place.

The bird felt uncomfortable under the wolf's gaze, but she didn't let it show in her face. Instead she held a cold stare. "What?" she spat out.

Katrina shrugged, "I can't take a picture without a camera." She replied innocently.

The young sparrow began to chuckle at what she thought was meant to be a joke, but didn't know that the wolf was serious when she said that. She sighed and said, "Good one…name's Sora."

Smiling Katrina held out her hand, "Katrina." She introduced herself. Sora looked at her hand and back at Katrina, who bashfully took her hand back and began to twiddle with her thumbs. She started to think that it would be better if she minded herself only. She began to kick her feet when she heard Sora's voice mutter something she couldn't make out.

"What?" she asked, while turning to the bird.

"Oh, nothing. But just look at that pocket watch the pig sitting over there has…" She pointed to a sleeping pig dressed in a yellow robe that sat to the right of her. Katrina spotted the golden pocket watch, and couldn't help but stare at the beauty of it. The cover held flower symbolism, while the mark in the middle depicted the head of a horse. She took one look at Sora, who seemed to have look of desire in her blue topaz eyes. Taking a second glance at the watch, she noticed a small glimmer. She squinted for a closer look, and noticed the rose cut diamonds in the flower symbolism that outlined the watch. The watch must be meant for his wife.

"It's…nice." Katrina said simply, sitting back on her seat while awaiting the response of Sora.

"It's not just nice…it's beautiful. The score in the center, did you notice it?" Katrina nodded. "It's supposed to embody a horse's head, that's how you know it's from France."

She nodded. Her eyebrows soon knitted together when a thought entered her mind. "How'd you know all that?"

"I study these kinds of things," she said nonchalantly. Sora soon began to speak of how she had started off this knowledge of 'exploring the world and finding treasures'. Katrina was only half-listening, because she had begun to think what would have happened if she had gotten on this bird's bad side. Sora seemed nice, but she also seemed to have that unmistakable trace of no toleration for annoyance/ignorance/etc. What if she would have gotten to see that side?

The bad side of this seemingly nice bird, only ten times worse, is probably what Tigress would have to be dealing with for the next few months, she thought. It had been three weeks since the last letter from the Jade Palace had arrived to her home. In that last letter, it was stated that Muang had requested Tigress to be her personal assistant and chaperon for her entire stay during the trip. Katrina was shocked by the request at first, but the more she thought about it and the more she got into the mind of a criminal, the more this began to make sense. If she were Muang (Heaven forbid), and jealousy of Tigress was really something that worried her so, what better way to rub it in someone's face than to see your loved one with the wife he was never meant to marry. The plan was devious, but it was just plain mean.

She gritted her teeth and thought what Po must have been dealing with. After all, he _had _been married to her for what now? Six months.

Oh. Gee. Harsh.

She could only imagine what that backstabber could be asking for. _'Oh honey, I need you to hire the best painter in town, and pay him to paint us so people could see how I would stoop so low as to steal the Dragon Warrior and make him my husband just so that Tigress_ _won't have you, and see how miserable, bored, depressed, rejected, and outcast you really feel. What? You won't? Well then I guess I'll just have to tell Vachir about…oh, you change your mind? That's wonderful; I'll start looking for the painter! Oh and do go check on the chef so you can be into that gloomy mood for the fact that you can't cook here either. Aww, thanks sweetie!' That skumbag…_

Katrina began to wonder the intimacy of their relationship. Would there be any at all? What about when Muang had gotten into that mood and caused the unwanted sexual tension? Would Po give in to her desires that easily? Thinking about it, Katrina came up with four possible reasons for why Po would and would not do such a thing. First off, he didn't love her enough to take her into that state of a fantasy. Besides the fact that she was admittedly incredible to look at, she deserved no such pleasure from Po. The next reason he wouldn't do such a task, would lie on that hunch that Katrina still had about an old flame of Po's, one he was forced to leave. For these two reasons, come the other two reasons for why he would. It's been six months, Po could have changed. He could have become a man like those that come out of pleasure houses. He could have taken concubines for all she, the five, and Shifu knew. The last reason would be desperation. In losing the one he loved, he might think that he would never regain that love again and it became a cure to make clouds and rain with her, as the doctor would recommend for his lovesickness.

Poor Po, she thought. He must have been depressed into sleep by now, probably only getting along with the servants when awake. Maybe the children if he was lucky.

She felt especially bad that Po wasn't able to cook his own food, the only time he was able to do so was when no one was around. That was the most relation she could get to him since she also loved cooking as much as martial arts like he did. The fact that he had no one to relate to and that no one could sympathize too, she couldn't relate too because she didn't have a person like Muang, a stuck-up reputation obsessed bitch who wouldn't care if Po was trapped under a burning support beam unless her reputation counted on it, same going for her parents who would be too busy keeping up the "perfect family" image for everybody to care. She was sure the children wouldn't understand, they were far too young to understand why he was so sad in the palace with all the maids and servants, but they probably didn't know that all of them would be too busy to even pass a single sentence to him that wasn't already programmed into their minds. The Furious Five and Hao couldn't visit him every day; those trips would be too long and impractical to do daily, thinning his chances of someone to sympathize with even more. She was sure his life was hard and reality just as strong.

He was completely and utterly alone.

"…and that's why I'm here."

She blinked, emerging from the grip of her fantasies and facing reality back in the face. She had only caught the last few words, but tried to appear as if she was listening to the story the entire time. "That's…uh, amazing."

Sora shrugged. "If you say so…I love your shirt. It looks so expensive, where did you get it?" She began to examine the shirt, going over the embroidery on its sleeves and marveling at the delicate design.

Katrina looked down at her shirt, a vintage green cotton tunic shirt embroidered with flowers at the sleeves and chest area. The rest of the shirt was loose fitting, making her seem as if her body shape was that of a square. "I…bought it…at a boutique called 'Mexican County Boutique'."

Sora stopped her gazing at looked up at Katrina, "Really…how much?"

"Well…it was about fifty."

Sora seemed interested, she knew this wolf had money when she saw the designer label on the jacket she had taken off when entering the plane. Sora then turned away, ending the conversation as if the discussion never even happened. _Okay then..._

Sighing, she began looking to her right; she saw that the bear wasn't sitting in his seat anymore. He must have gone to the bathroom to go and relieve himself. It didn't smell as bad since he wasn't around, and she could finally take a nice, non-choking breather. She looked at her wrist and realized that she left her watch inside her backpack. Looking over to the sparrow, she tried her best to be as nice as she could and asked, "Excuse me, do you have the time?"

The bird looked at her, smiling. "It's time for you to get a watch, I'm just kidding. It's," she pulled out a small watch that she had placed in her shirt pocket and said, "Eleven O' three? Wow…not even an hour has gone by. I'd say we've been airborne for about forty-five minutes."

Katrina frowned. "Crap…" she muttered, while turning to face the empty seat. A thought entered her mind and she faced Sora, who was tapping the armrest again. "Would you like to hear a joke?"

"Excuse me?"

"Would you like to hear a joke?" she repeated with more certainty in her voice. Katrina searched in Sora's eyes, and after a quick nod she began the story about three old women sitting and discussing their health.

"Okay. So, one lady says, 'You know, I'm getting really forgetful. This morning, I was standing at the top of the stairs, and I couldn't remember whether I had just come up or was about to go down.' The second lady says, 'You think that's bad? The other day, I was sitting on the edge of my bed, and I couldn't remember whether I was going to sleep or had just woken up!' And then the third lady smiles smugly. 'Well, my memory is just as good as it's always been, knock on wood,' she says as she taps on the table. Then with a startled look on her face, she asks, 'Who's there?'."

Sora chuckled. "That was funny."

"Thanks! I heard it in this book."

Sora giggled again. After her little giggle fit she yawned. "Oh man, I think I'm going to take a Z or two."

Katrina frowned in disappointment. "Oh…well, have sweet dreams."

"…thanks…" and without a minute to pass, Sora had already fallen asleep.

Katrina slumped once again. That's when she felt something poke her from inside her pocket. Katrina smiled.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small folded up picture. She unfolded it, revealing a picture of a young pup not older than nine years old. His eyes were just like hers'--a beautiful shade of coffee brown. His fur was a mixture of gray and black with a few streaks of yellow from her side. She was all he had, and he was all she had.

She remembered once when he asked why his father had run away, and she said that he was afraid of responsibility. But she knew the true reason of why he had run, and it was because all he ever wanted was to clear up her untouched cave and never hear from her again. He wasn't ready for a kid and didn't want a kid either. She had been hurt that much has been said, but that has been replaced by her only love right now, the one she wished would be there to say good-bye to her when she left because he was at school, but had remembered to wake him up with the most love and care she can give.

Of course, the hurt was still there sometimes. There are times when she wished that he had been there to raise him with her, and times when she felt alone and needed not only a husband but a friend too. But it didn't matter to her now; she always had her son and her mother there for her.

She always had them there, but not a friend like he used to be. Questions suddenly began to fill her mind.

What about Tigress? What is she feeling? Does she feel the same way Katrina does? Is it possible that she feels Po's emptiness too? Tigress had been going out with Po once. They loved once. Could she still feel that way? Could he? If it wasn't for Muang they probably would still be crazy in love now, not caring what others think about this crazy pair. If it wasn't for Muang, they wouldn't have to keep that love a secret and show it off freely. If it wasn't for Muang…

Po would have a friend. He would have that someone to love and cherish. More thoughts had begun to flood her mind so much that she imagined them pouring out of her ears. Katrina inwardly smirked.

_They don't call me my mother's daughter for nothing…_

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Oh...someone's getting devious here. I wonder who's involved...? *cough cough*

**Well, thank you for reading this very long chapter! I hope y'all enjoyed it! Okay, and I ask of you to please review this chapter and answer this...**

**Well, on a scale of one to ten, how much drama do you guys want? **

**Hmmm...you know somethin', I think y'all be seeing a lot of these polls. Mostly because I wanna give the readers what they want but also what I feel they deserve. Well, let me know 'kay? **

**Which begs the request...don't forget to review!**


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